Hollow Gate Jail

Overview

Hidden beneath the bustling trade road that leads out of Neverwinter’s eastern gate, Hallow Gate Jail serves as a grim reminder that the city’s rebirth is not without rot. Though officially a temporary holding facility for smugglers and agitators awaiting trial, in truth it doubles as a place of disappearance for those who anger the wrong nobles or cross interests of shady organizations.

Prisoners rarely stay long — either their charges are “resolved,” or they vanish into the iron mines east of the city.

Architecture & Layout

The jail was once part of an old fortified gatehouse from Neverwinter’s pre-eruption era. Its design is cramped, layered, and damp, the air heavy with mildew and rust. It is divided into three main levels:

Upper Level — Reception & Guard Quarters

Reception Hall: where new prisoners are processed and stripped of belongings.

Armory & Barracks: at least four guards stationed at all times.

Sergeant’s Office: Commander “Tallyman” Drosk ’s domain — a cluttered desk, crossbow bolts, and half-empty bottles.

Mid-Level — Common Cells & Evidence Storage

Common Cell: holds up to eight inmates; currently houses Torr, Brother Kaylen, Imrel, Harlan, and One-Eye Stink.

Smaller Cells: Used to keep "special" prisoners apart from the rest.

Magic-Dampening Cell: engraved with suppressive glyphs and covered with leaking planks; a faint enchantment flickers when it rains.

Non-Human Cell: For occasional bugbear or orc

Storage Room: official evidence on one side; hidden stash on the other (where Drosk keeps bribes, contraband, and valuable prisoner belongings).

Lower Level — Solitary & The Drain

Solitary Pit: used for punishment or disposal. Beneath it lies a grate to the sewers, leading to the escape route.

Flooded Passage: water channels lead to the old drainage sewers — and to the lair of the young Otyugh, known to some inmates only as “The Pipe.”

Atmosphere

The jail reeks of damp stone, ale, and despair. The torchlight flickers against walls etched with failed escape attempts — tally marks, prayers, and desperate names.
The guards mock prisoners, throw dice with stolen coins, and drink to meet their arrest quotas before the month’s end. When the rain hits the gate’s roof, it sounds like a anthem for the forgotten.